Management of environmental issues and regulation of natural resources often result in large-scale manipulations of ecological processes. As a result, they provide opportunities and needs for better experimental analyses to evaluate the validity of actions taken by managers. Examples are illustrated of experimental analyses showing (i) none of the predicted impacts of marinas; (ii) an experimental protocol to test predictions about restoration of biodiversity in a mangrove forest and (iii) loss of biodiversity in an experimental evaluation of a proposed fishery for urchins. Much better decisions and actions are possible where they are informed by well-designed ecological experiments.
